Published October 2023

Available on Amazon – Buy Now

The Patient Experience charts a patient’s journey beginning with descriptors of a ‘normal’ patient versus one with chronic complex and long-term conditions. There is a particular description of the medical conditions Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, as these terms are used more than any other patient-condition. There are examples of a patient CV and ‘job description’ before charting the patient through seeing various different medical professionals starting with the General Practitoner, and with mention of other types of medical professionals such as physiotherapists, opticians, dentists, counsellors and others.

The patient experience goes through seeing a consultant, and resultant outcome tests, going to the Emergency Department and paramedic care, through to Clinical Decision Units, Virtual Wards, and then the whole experience of being on a hospital ward including a typical day in hospital, life on the wards, medical and surgical wards, visiting hours, and then looks at having an operation or surgery, post-operative care and being discharged home. The patient experience of spiritual care, how to make complaints, service animals, and carer support are discussed. The book concludes with eight different ‘Patient Experience Stories’ including a paediatric example.

The stories bring to life the content and context of the book and concludes with life post-Covid, Private Medicine and ‘writing your own care plan’ and a list of reading and resources. It is aimed at all patients, with particular bias to the British NHS system. It would also benefit medical professionals – particularly students of any medical profession and related teritary care so that students fully appreciate and understand the ‘Patient Expeiernce.’ A useful adjunct book to accompany this one would be ‘The Body Nobody Believed’ – A Narrative Medicine Memoir that offers great detail through the eyes of one patient and each bodily system.